News and Press Releases

How Two Colleges Have Helped Plattsburgh Become Montreal’s U.S. Suburb

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. (Sept. 17, 2013) — As envisioned in the North Country Regional Economic Development Council’s Strategic Plan, the North Country is leading the economic renaissance of New York’s small cities and rural communities by attracting and nurturing entrepreneurial pioneers; mobilizing the creativity and capacity of the faculty, students and graduates of its outstanding institutes of higher education; and catalyzing the highest per capita rate of small business start-ups in the state.

The North Country community is invited to join in a dialogue with leaders in business, government and academia at two exciting forums designed to celebrate and expand how the North Country is deploying its universities and colleges as economic drivers.

On Thursday, Sept. 26, "How Two Colleges Have Helped Plattsburgh Become Montreal’s U.S. Suburb" will be hosted at Clinton Community College with SUNY Plattsburgh 5 - 7 p.m. in the Stafford Theater, Stafford Center for Arts & Technology, 136 Clinton Point Drive in Plattsburgh, N.Y.

On Monday, October 7, "Building the North Country’s Innovation Economy Through Technology Commercialization & New Business Start-Ups" will be hosted at Clarkson University with the North Country’s colleges, universities and institutes. An innovation showcase and reception kicks off the program at the Student Center Forum on Clarkson’s Hill Campus at 1:30 p.m. and runs through 4 p.m.

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Recent policy debates underscore the role of higher education in the economic vitality of our states and nation. Through cultivation of a rigorous teaching, learning and research environments; workforce development; creativity and innovation; knowledge transfer; and community engagement, these institutions produce prospective employees, assist regional businesses, promote the commercialization of new products and service development, attract new industries and enhance quality of life.

The North Country community is invited to learn more about the ways in which the colleges, universities and research institutes across the region contribute to the economic renaissance of the North Country.

Jason E. Lane, co-editor of the book “Universities and Colleges as Economic Drivers” and deputy director of research at The Rockefeller Institute of Government, will join regional leaders in business, government and higher education at both events.

Their collective insights will reveal the ways in which small business, the service sector and industry leaders benefit from the economic contributions of the region’s many colleges and universities.

The goal of the two events is to continue the dialogue on furthering workforce development opportunities, entrepreneurial creativity and technology innovation across the region.